Chronic and incurable diseases have largely increased in number over the past few decades. Some of such diseases are so mysterious that accurately identifying the root of the problem becomes challenging.
Two such diseases are lupus and fibromyalgia. Although the two share some similarities, they can be differentiated by various factors.
Lupus vs Fibromyalgia
The difference between lupus and fibromyalgia is that lupus is an inflammatory and autoimmune disease whereas fibromyalgia is neither inflammatory nor autoimmune. Additionally, the symptoms of lupus are internal whereas the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be seen on the body. Even though the two diseases affect almost all of the body parts, their causes largely differ.
Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!
Lupus, medically known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which one’s immune system starts attacking the tissues and organs of the body.
Lupus causes inflammation and can affect almost any and every part of the body. There are treatments available for this condition, but this condition can’t be fully cured.
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. It can even lead to disability and indirectly low life quality.
Furthermore, people with Fibromyalgia are more sensitive to pain in unaffected areas of the body as well. This phenomenon is known as abnormal pain perception processing. It is a chronic condition.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Lupus | Fibromyalgia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is an autoimmune disease. | It is a neurological disorder. |
| Type | Inflammatory and autoimmune. | Neither inflammatory nor autoimmune. |
| Symptoms | Mostly internal. | Mostly external. |
| Causes | Environment, genetics, gender, etc. | PTSD, genetics, stress, etc. |
| Complications | It further results in physical abnormalities. | It further results in mental abnormalities. |
What is Lupus?
Lupus, medically known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a disease in which one’s immune system starts attacking the tissues and organs of the body.
Lupus causes inflammation and can affect almost any and every part of the body. There are treatments available for this condition, but this condition can’t be fully cured.
Since the disease is a complex condition, it is often called “a disease of 1,000 faces”.
Since this condition is autoimmune, the immune system is unable to distinguish between unwanted substances and healthy tissues. As a result, the antibodies fight every new development.
This results in various symptoms including fatigue, weight loss, swelling, fever, and headaches, etc.
As the symptoms vary for every individual, diagnosing the condition is also difficult and so is the treatment. There is no cure for lupus, but the treatment aims to prevent organ failure.
Till now, the root cause of Lupus is not clear. Nevertheless, researchers have identified a combination of possible causing factors following previous cases.
Some of these possible causes include smoky surroundings, genetics, abnormal hormone levels, infections, and long-term use of some medications.
Furthermore, certain groups are possibly at a higher risk of developing lupus including women, certain ethnic groups, and people less than 44 years of age.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. It can even lead to disability and indirectly low life quality.
Furthermore, people with Fibromyalgia are more sensitive to pain in unaffected areas of the body as well. This phenomenon is known as abnormal pain perception processing.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition and just like Lupus, there is no promising cure for it.
According to medical research, the pain appears to result from processes in the central nervous system or central sensitization syndrome.
The condition is often considered a neurobiological disorder due to abnormalities in how pain signals are processed in the central nervous system of the patient.
The major symptom of this disease is chronic widespread pain throughout the body, fatigue, sleep disturbance, muscle spasms, and vision problems, etc.
Furthermore, mental disorders such as anxiety, and depression also follow along as fibromyalgia indirectly leads to low quality of life.
Till now, the cause of fibromyalgia is unclear. Nevertheless, it has been largely caused by genetic factors. It seems to run in families. Addition
lly, it can also be a result of emotional or physical abuse, PTSD, etc. This condition is twice as common in women as in men. It can also affect children but is mostly in adults.
Main Differences Between Lupus and Fibromyalgia
- Lupus is an inflammatory and autoimmune disease whereas fibromyalgia is neither inflammatory nor autoimmune.
- Lupus is a life-threatening condition as it can lead to organ failure whereas fibromyalgia is rarely life-threatening.
- The symptoms of lupus are internal whereas the symptoms of fibromyalgia are mostly external.
- Lupus leads to more physical diseases whereas fibromyalgia leads to mental conditions and disorders.
- Lupus isn’t known to affect young children whereas fibromyalgia can affect people of all ages.
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
